Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Shavuot represents one of the most important transformations in human history, namely, the conversion of our ancestors to Judaism. This is one of the basic reasons we read Megilat Rut on Shavuot, since Ruth’s story of individual conversion mirrors our own as a people. My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), formulated this idea in these words:

The Parsha of Mattan Torah, receipt of the Torah at Mount Sinai, was the story of Gayrus, conversion of the Jewish people. The children of the patriarchs converted en masse at Maamad Har Sinai. Hence the connection to Ruth. The story of Mattan Torah and Ruth together comprise the topic of conversion. The Vilna Gaon says this is why we read Megilas Ruth on Shavuos, another story of conversion. …The principle of conversion is a fundamental connection between the events at Mount Sinai and the story of Ruth. As Boaz tells Ruth, she should be blessed for leaving everything behind to join a people that she did not know and for coming under the wings of the Shechina of the God of Israel, in other words she converted. The same idea is found at Maamad Har Sinai where the Torah tells the story of the conversion of Bnay Yisrael in conjunction with the Revelation of God on Mount Sinai. (Direct transcription of Rav Soloveitchik’s public lecture on 5/24/68. This is from tape #5285. Source: Formerly on www.parsha.net/Bamidbar/Shavuos2-60.doc, italics my own.)
 
Given the gerut of the Jewish people, and all that entailed, we would assume the Torah would address the unique psychological needs of future gerim. This expectation is indeed met:

And you shall not oppress a stranger [that is, a convert], for you know the feelings of the stranger, since you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Sefer Shemot 23:9)
 
When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not taunt him. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be as a native from among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord, your God. (Sefer Vayikra 19:33-34)
 
He executes the judgment of the orphan and widow, and He loves the stranger, to give him bread and clothing. You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Sefer Devarim 10:18-19, these and all Torah translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
In sum, the Torah commands us to show great sensitivity to the ger. This should be natural for us, since their psychosocial experience is one we share, having been “strangers in the land of Egypt.” On the practical juridical level, this translates into two mitzvot: the proscription of oppressing and taunting proselytes regarding their origins, and the positive mitzvah of loving and welcoming them to our community. As such: “The stranger who sojourns with you shall be as a native from among you…”
 
The Rambam (1135-1204) codified the mitzvah to love the ger in his Mishneh Torah:

Loving a convert who has come to nestle under the wings of the Schechinah [fulfills] two positive commandments: one for he is [also] included among the “neighbors” [whom we are commanded to love] and one because he is a convert and the Torah (Devarim 10:19) states: “and you shall love the converts.” [Thus, God] has commanded us concerning the love of a convert just as He has commanded us concerning loving Himself as [Devarim 11:1] states: “and you shall love God, your Lord.” The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, loves converts as [Devarim 10:18] states: “and He loves converts.” (Hilchot Deot 6:4, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)

The Rambam notes that two positive commandments are fulfilled when one loves the ger: the general obligation to love one’s fellow Jew: “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself” “v’ahavta l’reiecha kamocha,” (Sefer Vayikra 19:18), and the specific mitzvah of loving the ger: “and you should love the convert” “v’ahavtem et ha-ger.” (Sefer Devarim 10:19) Why, however, did Hashem deem it necessary to add the additional commandment of loving the ger if this responsibility is already included in v’ahavta l’reiecha kamocha?

Fortunately, the Rambam addresses this question in Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandment 207:

…and even though the ger is included within the general commandment of “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” in the instance of a convert who is truly a righteous proselyte (ger tzedek), since he has entered into our Torah [and its multiplicity of obligations], God gives him love and specified an extra commandment on his behalf. (Translation and brackets my own)

It appears that the ger tzedek warrants a unique mitzvah based on a quid pro quo: “… since he has entered into our Torah, God gives him love and specified an extra commandment on his behalf.” A careful reading from the passage from Hilchot Deot underscores this line of reasoning: “Loving a convert who has come to nestle under the wings of the Schechinah,” when it would have been sufficient to use the phrase “loving a convert.” True, the Rambam utilizes different terminologies in the two works under discussion. Yet, I believe his intent in both instances was the same: The ger tzedek is deserving of an extra mitzvah that mandates the love of his fellow Jews toward him, precisely because of his all-encompassing commitment to Hashem, His Torah, and the Jewish people.

Ultimately, all the Jewish people are equal before Hashem and deserving of His beneficence and mercy. This is the case whether we are native born or have chosen to become Jewish and embrace the Master of the Universe and His Torah. Given this fundamental idea, it is little wonder that the members of the Anshei Knesset HaGadolah formulated this bracha found in the Shemoneh Esrai:
​
On the righteous, on the devout, on the elders of Your people the Family of Israel, on the remnant of their scholars, on the righteous converts and on ourselves, may Your compassion be aroused, Hashem, our God, and give goodly reward to all who sincerely believe in Your Name. Put our lot with them forever, and we will not feel ashamed, for we trust in You. Blessed are You, Hashem, Mainstay and Assurance of the righteous. (Translation, Artscroll Siddur, underlining my own)
 
May we be zocheh to receive Hashem’s compassion and be worthy of His goodly reward. Moreover, with Hashem’s help and mercy, may this be our final Shavuot in galut, and may the next one be celebrated in Yerushalayim in the soon-to-be rebuilt Beit HaMikdash. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha’s haftorah is most often Hosea 2:1-2:22.The concluding pasukim of this passage are well known, since men recite them after putting on their tefillin: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know Hashem.” (Hoshea 2:21, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Rashi (1040-1105) explains that “with righteousness and with justice” refers to the actualization of our midot tovot, whereas “loving-kindness and with mercy,” represents Hashem’s response to their practice. He supports this analysis with the following textual supports:

Concerning our father Avraham, it is written (Gen 18:19): “For I love him since he commands…to perform righteousness and justice.” And, corresponding to them, He bestowed upon his children loving-kindness and mercy, as it is said (Deut. 13:18): “And He shall grant you mercy;” (7:12) “And Hashem your God shall keep for you the covenant and the loving-kindness.” When they ceased to perform righteousness and justice, as it is said (Amos 5:7): “Those who turn justice into wormwood, and righteousness they leave on the ground,” also the Holy One, blessed be He, took away from them the loving-kindness and the mercy, as it is said (Jer. 16:5): “for I have gathered in My peace from this people, says Hashem, the loving-kindness and the mercies.” And when they will return to perform righteousness and justice, they shall be redeemed immediately, as it is said (Isa. 1: 27): “Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her penitent through righteousness.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, will add mercy and loving-kindness to them and make a crown of all four of them and place it on their head.
 
In sum, Rashi underscores the following crucial points:

1. Hoshea 2: 21 contains four essential terms in the covental agreement between Hashem and our people: tzedek, mishpat, chesed, and rachamim.
2. Tzedek and mishpat are our responsibilities. They are the fundamental ways we must interact with one another.
3. Chesed and rachamim are from Hashem and reflect His response to our actions that emobdy tzedek and mishpat.
4. A middah k’neged middah relationship obtains between our acts of tzedek and mishpat, and Hashem’s bestowal of chesed and rachamim. As Rashi explicitly maintains: if we fail to live up to our responsibilities to acheinu kol beit Yisrael, and act without tzedek and mishpat, then Hashem will act toward us without chesed and rachamim. In contrast, when we live up to our mandate to be truly righteous, then Hashem will reward us in kind. As Rashi states:

​And when they will return to perform righteousness and justice, they shall be redeemed immediately, as it is said (Isa. 1: 27): “Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her penitent through righteousness.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, will add mercy and loving-kindness to them and make a crown of all four of them and place it on their head.
 
Hoshea the navi gives us a formula to achieve a dynamic relationship with Hashem that pulsates with boundless spiritual energy. He teaches us that if we seek to experience the unlimited joy of Hashem’s chesed and rachamim, we must treat our fellow Jews with tzedek and mishpat. Consequently, every action we undertake should be viewed through the lens of a seemingly simple question: “Does this act bring greater tzedek and mishpat to the world, or chas v’shalom, does it bring the opposite in its wake?”
 
May we be zocheh to ever pursue tzedek and mishpat, and may we, in turn, receive Hashem’s chesed and rachamim. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Parashat Bechukotai contains a variety of rewards with which we will be blessed, “if you will follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them.” One of these is the removal of wild beasts from the Land. (26:3, 6, Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach). The Sifra presents two very different interpretations of this bracha:
 
Rabbi Yehudah said: “[Hashem] will remove them [the wild and dangerous beasts] from the world. Rabbi Shimon said: “[Hashem] will control them [the wild beasts] so they will no longer cause injury.” Rabbi Shimon [also] said: “When is there the greatest praise to the Omnipresent One, when there are no injurious creatures or when there are dangerous creatures that longer cause injury? One must say that [Hashem’s praise is most clearly manifest] when there are injurious creatures that no longer cause any damages. (Parashat Bechukotai 1:2:1, translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, Rabbi Yehudah maintains that Hashem will remove the wild and dangerous animals from the world so that they will no longer pose any threat to humankind. In contrast, Rabbi Shimon asserts that the Almighty will keep the world’s ecological structure intact. He will, however, alter the nature of the heretofore-dangerous animals so that they will live in peace with the rest of the world. The Sifra clearly supports Rabbi Shimon’s opinion, as it continues with one of Yeshayahu’s best-known verses:

And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them. And a cow and a bear shall graze together, their children shall lie; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. And an infant shall play over the hole of an old snake and over the eyeball of an adder, a weaned child shall stretch forth his hand. (Sefer Yeshayahu, 11:6-8)
 
While the Sifra, and other Midrashim (such as Pesikta Zutarta, Parashat Bechukotai 26:6), support Rabbi Shimon’s view that Hashem will literally alter the nature of dangerous carnivorous animals, the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) did not follow this approach. Instead, he views these verses in Yeshayahu, and parallel passages in Nevi’im, as metaphors for the Messianic Age:

Do not presume that in the Messianic Age any facet of the world’s nature will change or there will be innovations in the work of creation. Rather, the world will continue according to its pattern. Although Yeshayahu 11:6 states: “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat,” these words are a metaphor and a parable. … Similarly, other Messianic prophecies of this nature are metaphors. In the Messianic era, everyone will realize which matters were implied by these metaphors and which allusions they contained. (Mishneh Torah, Sefer Shoftim, Hilchot Melachim 12:1, this, and all Mishneh Torah translations, Rabi Eliyahu Touger, underlining my own)
 
The Ra’avad (Rabbi Avraham ben David, c. 1125-1198) pointedly took the Rambam to task for stating that such passages from Nevi’im were metaphors and parables. After all, he contends, does not the Torah explicitly state: “I will remove wild beasts from the Land?” If so, how is possible to imagine that the Prophets’ words were mere allegories?

Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch shlita, the contemporary Israeli posek, and former Chief Rabbi Ra’avad of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem, suggests that the crux of the dispute between the Rambam and the Ra’avad is found in their respective analyses of the phrase, “I will remove wild beasts from the Land.” In Rav Sternbuch’s view, the Rambam maintains that the Messianic times will be a period wherein “the wild beasts will no longer be able to do harm to mankind.” This, Rav Sternbuch suggests, “is not a change in nature, [since it is not] manifestly evident to one and all.” In contrast, he asserts that the Ra’avad championed the view of Rabbi Yehudah, as found in the above-cited Sifra. Namely, “I will remove wild beasts from the Land” should be taken literally, “this means there will longer be any violent animals.” In other words, vicious and carnivorous beasts will simply cease to exist. (Sefer Ta’am v’Da’at, Parashat Bechukotai, 26:6).

Throughout our long and storied history, our people have longed for the arrival of the Mashiach. Over and over again we have asked ourselves the same question: “How will we know when he has finally arrived?” Once again, the Rambam helps us answer this crucial question:

King Messiah will arise in the future and return the kingship of David to its former greatness and glory. He will rebuild the Holy Temple and gather all of the exiles to the Land of Israel. All of the laws will be in effect during his days just as they were in earlier times. We will [once again] offer korbanot (animal offerings) and keep the laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years just like all of the other laws stated in the Torah. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11:1)
As clear cut as these words may seem, how will we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the one who accomplishes these holy tasks is indisputably the one and only Mashiach? The Rambam answers:

If a king will arise from the House of David, who, like his ancestor David, diligently contemplates the Torah and observes its mitzvot as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law, and will compel all of Israel to walk in (the way of the Torah) and rectify the breaches in its observance, and fight the wars of God, we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach. If he succeeds in the above, builds the Temple in its place, and gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely the Mashiach. (11:4, underlining and emendations my own)

One of our tasks as ovdei Hashem is to be an or l’amim (light unto the nations, Sefer Yeshayahu 49:6). Little wonder, then, that our hopes and desires for the imminent coming of Mashiach are universalistic ones that embrace a vision of peace for all the nations of the world. Consequently, the Rambam concludes with these inspiring words:

He will then improve the entire world, motivating all the nations to serve God together, as Sefer Tzephaniah 3:9 states: “I will transform the peoples to a purer language that they all will call upon the name of God and serve Him with one purpose.”
 
At that time, the famous words of Zechariah the prophet will be realized and ring true throughout the entire world: “And the Lord shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be one, and His name one.” (14:9) May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

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Artwork: Sefira Lightstone
​
Rabbi David Etengoff

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
One of the most prominent sections of our parasha is Parashat HaMoadim. Its 44 pasukim comprise the 23rd chapter of Sefer Vayikra and serve as an encyclopedic presentation of the biblically based Moadim. It begins as we would expect: “And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: Hashem’s appointed [holy days] that you shall designate as holy occasions. These are My appointed [holy days]’” (23:1-2, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) After the phrase, “these are my appointed [holy days],” we would expect a listing of the Moadim, beginning with Pesach and concluding with Succot. Yet, the next pasuk inexplicably refers to Shabbat: “[For] six days, work may be performed, but on the seventh day, it is a complete rest day, a holy occasion; you shall not perform any work. It is a Shabbat to Hashem in all your dwelling places.” (23:3) Only afterwards do we find the sought for introduction to the Moadim: “These are Hashem’s appointed [holy days], holy occasions, which you shall designate in their appointed time.” (23:4)
 
Rashi (1040-1105), based on several midrashic passages, notes the anomalous nature of the inclusion of Shabbat amid the Moadim and asks: “Why does the Shabbat [designated by Hashem,] appear here amidst the Moadim [designated by the Sanhedrin?]” (23:3) His answer is a classic example of Rabbinic analysis: “To teach you that whoever desecrates the Moadim is considered [to have transgressed as severely] as if he has desecrated the Shabbat, and that whoever fulfills the Moadim is considered as if he has fulfilled the Shabbat [and his reward is as great].” As such, in Rashi’s view, the placement of Shabbat at the beginning of our chapter is meant to convey the singular import of the Moadim.
 
Rabbi Nissan Alpert zatzal (1928-1986) was one of the great roshei yeshivah of Yeshivat Rabbi Yitzhak Elhanan, and perhaps the most celebrated student of Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal (1895-1986). In Limudei Nissan, Rav Alpert presents a deep insight regarding the connection between Shabbat and the Moadim that informs our understanding of Rashi’s gloss:

[The reason why Shabbat appears before the festivals] is to emphasize that it is the mother of all the Moadim, and the holiness of these [appointed] times flows from Shabbat. By way of explanation, this means that it is possible to extend the holiness of Shabbat to the other Moadim. It is as if Hashem said, “I have sanctified the Shabbat, now, I give you [the Jewish people] the power and the permission to consecrate the rest of the appointed times.” Moreover, just as it is the purpose of the Shabbat to cease from the creative activities of the workweek through complete and total [spiritual] relaxation in order to draw near to Hashem, so, too, this should be our orientation on the Moadim. In other words, our actions and behaviors on these days should be aimed at strengthening our faith and trust in Hashem. (Parashat Emor, page 50, s.v. v’nireh li, translation and brackets my own)
 
Rav Alpert teaches us four important lessons regarding the unique connection that obtains between Shabbat and the Moadim:

1.Shabbat is stated before the festivals because it is the “mother” of the Moadim.

1. The holiness of the Moadim derives from the holiness of Shabbat.
2. Just as Hashem consecrates Shabbat, the Jewish people are given the power and permission to sanctify the Moadim.

4.Moadim is similar in kind to that of Shabbat; namely, to enable us to utilize the holy moments of both Shabbat and the Moadim to strengthen our faith and trust in the Master of the Universe.
 
A parallel approach toward solving our problem was offered by the Maharil (1365-1427). His gloss, as well, focuses on the reason Shabbat precedes the Torah’s discussion of the Moadim:
​
We find in the Zohar (Emor 95:1): “Shabbat is called “kodesh” but not “mikra kodesh.” Yom Tov, however, is called a mikra kodesh [by the Torah].” [Yet,] there is a contradiction here! It states in Parashat Emor: “[For] six days, work may be performed, but on the seventh day, it is a complete rest day, a holy occasion (mikra kodesh); you shall not perform any work. It is a Shabbat to Hashem in all your dwelling places.” Herein, Shabbat is also called a “mikra kodesh!” This seeming contradiction, however, can be explained in the manner that we have already written, namely, Yom Tov receives its [kedushah] from Shabbat. This means that within Shabbat there is an aspect of Yom Tov to enable Shabbat’s [kedushah] to positively flow into Yom Tov… Now we understand why Shabbat is called “mikra kodesh,” precisely to allow Shabbat’s [kedushah] to flow into and affect the Moadim. (Likutei Maharil, Sefer Devarim, Parashat Vayelech, s.v. v’nireh li, translation and brackets my own)
 
The Maharil’s answer to our question is a spiritual tour de force. He teaches us that the Yom Tovim, though sanctified by the Jewish people, are nonetheless infused with kedushat Shabbat. Each festival day, therefore, has the potential to draw us closer to our Creator so that we may experience the sanctity of Shabbat on yet another level. With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to feel Hashem’s presence every Shabbat, every Yom Tov, and every day of our lives. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The prohibition of ingesting blood (Sefer Vayikra 17:12) is one of the better-known mitzvot in our parasha. The Rambam (1135-1204) adopted a causal-historical explanation as to why the Torah forbade this act:

Know that the Sabians held that blood was most unclean, but in spite of this used to eat of it, deeming that it was the food of the devils and that, consequently, whoever ate it fraternized with the jinn [supernatural beings] so that they came to him and let him know future events…Thereupon the Law [that is, the Torah]… prohibited the eating of blood, putting the same emphasis on this prohibition as on the prohibition against idolatry. For, He, may He be exalted, says, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and so on (Lev. 17:10) just as He has said with regard to him who gives of his seed to Molech (cf. Lev. 20:4-6): I will even set My face against that soul, and so on. No such text occurs regarding a third commandment other than the prohibition of idolatry and of eating blood. This is so because the eating of blood led to a certain kind of idolatry, namely, to the worship of the jinn. (The Guide of the Perplexed, translation, Shlomo Pines, volume II, III: 46, pages 585-586, brackets and underlining my own)
 
In sum, the Rambam presents the prohibition of eating blood as Hashem’s strategy for deterring us from adopting an existing avodah zarah-based behavior.
 
The Ramban (1194-1270) on Sefer Vayikra 17:10-11 maintains that even though the Rambam’s presentation is sound (“v’alu devarim miyushavim”), it lacks any textual support (“aval haketuvim lo yoru kane”), since the Torah never mentions the Sabians and their perverse practices. In addition, many of the verses that mandate the prohibition of eating blood consistently employ the word, “nefesh” (soul), as seen in the following examples:

For the soul of the flesh is in the blood…
 
For [regarding] the soul of all flesh its blood is in its soul, and I said to the children of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the soul of any flesh is its blood; all who eat it shall be cut off.
 
However, be strong not to eat the blood, for the blood is the soul; and you shall not eat the soul with the flesh. (Sefer Vayikra 17:11, 14 and Sefer Devarim 12:23, Torah translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The Ramban’s recognition of the Torah’s emphasis of the term, “nefesh,” leads him to a 13th century statement of “you are what you eat,” and to a cogent analysis of the underlying rationale of our mitzvah:

It is further known that what is eaten becomes part of the body of the one who has eaten the food material and they merge into one entity. Therefore, if a person eats the soul of all flesh [that is, blood], and joins it with his blood, they become united in his being; this results in a thickness and arrogance in the soul of man. Moreover, he will enter into a [spiritual] state that is close to the animal soul that has been eaten… as the man’s soul will be combined with the blood of the animal…Therefore it states, “For [regarding] the soul of all flesh its blood is in its soul…” (Sefer Vayikra 17:14) for in all the flesh of both man and the animals, the soul is to be found in the blood. [Moreover,] it is not fitting to mix the soul that has been cut off [the animal that has been killed] with the soul that continues to live [that of the man] … And this is the reason why I [Hashem] have said to the Jewish people [not to eat blood], since the blood is the soul, and it is not fitting for a soul to eat another soul. (Commentary on Sefer Vayikra 17:11-12, translation, underlining and brackets my own)
 
In sum, the Ramban’s explication of our mitzvah incorporates the three major elements:

• Ingesting blood results in thickness and arrogance in a person’s nefesh
• Eating blood will cause one to enter a spiritual state similar in kind to that of the animal he/she has eaten
• It is not fitting to mix the soul that has been cut off [animal] with the soul that continues to live [human being]

 
The Ramban’s rejection of the Rambam’s analysis of our mitzvah is part of a much larger struggle in Jewish philosophy that created two radically opposing camps: the Maimunists and the Anti-Maimunists. The former advocated on behalf of the Rambam’s rationalistic approach in the Guide to the Perplexed, whereas the latter rejected it in its entirety. My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples, offers this explanation as to why the Anti-Maimunists ultimately held sway in this crucial controversy:

Judging Maimonides’ undertaking retrospectively, one must admit that the master whose thought shaped Jewish ideology for centuries to come did not succeed in making his interpretation of the commandments prevalent in our world perspective. While we recognize his opinions on more complicated problems such as prophecy, teleology and creation, we completely ignore most of his rational notions regarding the commandments. The reluctance on the part of the Jewish homo religious [religious being] to accept Maimonidean rationalistic ideas is not ascribable to any agnostic tendencies, but to the incontrovertible fact that such explanations neither edify nor inspire the religious consciousness. They are essentially, if not entirely, valueless for the religious interests we have most at heart. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, The Halakhic Mind: An Essay on Jewish Tradition and Modern Thought, page 92, underlining my own)
 
In a word, the Rav’s analysis as to why Maimonidean rationalistic explanations of the mitzvot were rejected by most Jewish thinkers maintains that “such explanations neither edify nor inspire the religious consciousness. They are essentially, if not entirely, valueless for the religious interests we have most at heart.” What, then, are the hallmarks of the religious consciousness and the religious interests we have most at heart? The Rav provides a poetic answer to this question in his presentation as to why man ultimately seeks the Almighty:

Man seeks God out of a thirst for the freedom of life, a desire to expand and deepen the universe. The search for God means liberation from the burden of tyrannical nature weighing heavily upon him, release from the blind forces besetting man’s life. Weary from the travail of dull life, man flees to the region of complete liberty and conjoins with God. Man desires peace of mind and seeks to wipe the tears of sorrow from his face. Out of the totality of spiritual experience that flows from the inner uniqueness and independence of the creative spirit that rises ever higher, the religious experience is revealed. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, And From There You Shall Seek, translation, Naomi Goldblum, pages 41-42)
 
May we ever be zocheh to have “a thirst for the freedom of life, [and] a desire to expand and deepen the universe,” as we seek Hashem and keep His mitzvot. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parshiot focus on the halachot of tumah and taharah (ritual purity and impurity). As is widely known, these are some of the most complex subjects in the Torah. An entire section of the Mishnah is entitled “taharot” and page after page of the Talmud discusses the intricacies of this fundamental area of Jewish law. Unfortunately, however, very few people today, regardless of their level of intellectual acumen and scholarly achievement, have expertise in this area of study. This lack of mastery was noted as early as the 12th century by the Rambam zatzal (1135-1204) in his Commentary on the Mishnah:

And you know that today, because of the multiplication of our sins, that if you were to encounter the leaders of the yeshivot throughout the Jewish people, and all the more so, those of the various synagogues, you would find that this entire subject remains difficult for them. This is the case, [even though] there are many explicit Torah verses and mishnaic passages [that discuss this area of halacha] and sources that are even clearer and simpler than these works. (Introduction to Mishnah Kalim, ed. Rabbi Yosef David Kapach, p. 22, translation my own)
 
I believe the challenges we face understanding tumah and taharah stem from the inherent nature of these laws. The best-known example of this category of commandments is the parah adumah that the Torah introduces with these words: “This is the statute (chukat) of the Torah which Hashem commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for you a perfectly red unblemished cow, upon which no yoke was laid.’” (Sefer Bamidbar 19:2, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) The Torah uses the term, “chukat,” and in so doing, informs us that the parah adumah is a chok, a statute, in contrast to the prohibition of murder, for example, that is a mishpat. The Rambam defined the main difference between these classes of mitzvot in this manner:

The mishpatim are those commandments wherein their rationale is revealed and the value that obtains as a result of their performance is manifest in this world. For example: the prohibitions of stealing and murder, and the obligation to honor one’s father and mother. [In contrast,] the chukim are those commandments whose rationale is unknown. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Meilah 8:8, translation and brackets my own)
 
As chukim, the rationales of tumah and taharah are unknown. Yet, there is more at stake here than our failure to discover the underlying basis of this area of halacha; in actuality, there are no rationally conceived principles as to why something renders an object or person tamei (ritually impure) or tahor (ritually pure). These are not physical processes; rather, the consequent changes in status are brought about through the absolute will of Hashem. The following midrash sheds light on this matter:
 
[Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai’s students] said to him: “You dismissed the [the question of the non-Jewish inquirer regarding tumah and taharah] with a reed, yet, how will you respond to us regarding the same inquiry?” He said to them: “The dead person does not [in some physical manner] render [a person or an object] ritually impure, and neither does water bring about ritual purity [in a physical fashion,] rather, both effectuate [these] changes based solely upon the edict of the Omnipresent One (gezeirato shel HaMakom). For the Holy One blessed be He declared: ‘A statute I have proclaimed! A prohibition I have declared! And you have no permission to violate my edict.’” (Pesikta Rabbatai, Ish Shalom edition, Piska 14, Parah, translation and brackets my own)
 
It appears that the Rambam was strongly influenced by this passage, and utilized it as the basis for his halachic decision:

It is a clear and explicit concept that the various forms of tumah and taharah are a divine decree of the Torah. They are not in the class of those matters wherein man can use his intellect to make determinations. [Instead,] they are in the category known as chukim. So, too, when it comes to the instance of immersion in a mikvah to remove ritual impurity, it is in the category of chukim. This is the case since ritual impurity is neither dirt nor bodily excretions that will be removed by the water, rather, the purification process is a divine decree of the Torah, and the entire matter is dependent upon one’s intention (kavanat halev) [and not just the physical immersion] … (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Mikvaot 11:12, this, and the following translation and underlining, my own)
 
At this juncture, the Rambam provides us with a startling spiritual tour de force. In relatively few words, he helps us understand the elusive world of tumah and taharah, and invest them with new meaning:
​
Nonetheless, the Torah provides a hint of understanding [of tumah and taharah]: Just like an individual with the proper intention to purify himself once he immerses himself becomes ritually pure, even though nothing new has been created in his body, so too, one who has the intention to purify his soul from spiritual impurities such as wicked and evil thoughts, since he has made a heartfelt decision to remove himself from those shameful ideas, will be able to bring his soul back to the waters of pure and unsullied thought … May Hashem in His great mercy purify us from all inadvertent and purposeful sins, and from all manner and variety of guilt.
 
I believe the Rambam helps us understand the ultimate purpose of the laws of tumah and taharah: Namely, to enable us to effectuate substantive changes in ourselves. As such, this category of Jewish law offers great opportunity that we will return to Him, and “bring our souls back to the waters of pure and unsullied thought.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The final chapter of Parashat Shemini contains more than 20 pasukim that discuss various aspects of hilchot kashrut. Herein, the Torah gives us general guidelines for determining the status of kosher and non-kosher mammals, fish, insects, and seven bird species that we are forbidden to eat. In short, it is a self-contained “kashrut handbook.”
 
In his commentary on Sefer Shemot, the Ramban (1194-1270) presents a powerful argument for understanding hilchot kashrut on a spiritual level. He begins by examining the phrase, “And you shall be holy people to Me,” (Sefer Vayikra 22:30, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) and notes the following:

… and now that the Torah has come to the beginning of its examination of the Laws of Forbidden foods, it begins with the phrase, “And you shall be holy people to Me,” for in truth, it is proper and fitting that a person should be able to eat anything that would enable him to live, [therefore,] it must be the case that the prohibitions that exist regarding various foods are for the exclusive purpose of spiritually purifying the soul. [This means] that one should eat pure foods (devarim nekiyim) that will not produce a thickness and arrogance of the soul. As such, the Torah states, “And you shall be holy people to Me,” which means that I [Hashem] desire that you [the Jewish people] will be a holy people in order that you will be fitting to Me, [and] cleave to Me for I am holy. Therefore, do not sully your souls through the eating of disgusting things … [and regarding a treifah (literally a torn animal)], while it is not revolting, holiness ensues when one guards themself from eating it. (Translation and brackets my own)
 
Rabbi Don Yitzhak Abarbanel (1437-1508) builds upon the Ramban’s analysis and passionately advocates for the spiritual understanding of hilchot kashrut:
 
The Divine Torah did not come to heal the body or to promote physical health but rather to foster the health of the soul and to heal its afflictions. Therefore, the Torah forbade these foods because they have a deleterious effect on the pure and intelligent soul, breeding insensitivity in the human soul and corrupting its desires. This causes the formation of an evil nature that breeds a spirit of ritual impurity and banishes the spirit of ritual purity and holiness, concerning which Dovid implored: “Do not take Your spirit of holiness from me!” (Sefer Tehillim 51:13). (Commentary on Parashat Shemini, translation, Rabbi Yaakov Beasley with my emendations)
 
The Torah’s emphasis on the role of hilchot kashrut as a means of achieving kedushah and to avoid spiritual defilement is found in our parasha regarding the prohibition of eating “creeping creatures that creep on the ground:”

You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping creature that creeps, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, that you should become unclean through them. For I am Hashem your God, and you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am holy, and you shall not defile yourselves through any creeping creature that crawls on the ground. For I am Hashem Who has brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. Thus, you shall be holy, because I am holy. (Sefer Vayikra 11: 43-45, underlining my own)
 
Closer to our own time, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his students and disciples, translates the underlying concept of hilchot kashrut into the modern idiom. Rather than emphasizing the spiritual motif, however, he focuses on the sanctification of the body that takes place as a result of following these laws. In so doing, he underscores their overarching significance for the Jewish people:

It is interesting to note that there is only one verse in the Torah that mentions prayer (Deut. 11:13), but there are many chapters that deal with dietary laws. It is easier for man to pray than to withdraw from food he desires. Man is ready to serve God spiritually, but resents any interference with his eating habits, or with the manner in which he gratifies physical or carnal needs… he resents being told that there are laws which guide him concerning behavior not of the spirit, but of his body. The Torah is of the opinion, however, that it is impossible to hallow and inspire the spirit without disciplining the body. These mitzvos [that is, the dietary laws] belong to the category of discipline of the body and its sanctification. What is forbidden here is overindulgence in satisfying human corporeal needs and drives. (This and the following citations, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Festival of Freedom: Essays on Pesach and the Haggadah, J.B. Wolowelsky and Reuven Ziegler, Editors, page 137, all brackets my own).
 
The Rav stresses Judaism’s respect for man’s physical being and desires, in notable contrast to other religions. At the same time, however, he underscores the Torah’s insistence on sanctifying all aspects of our physical existence:
​
Judaism does not reject the body. The body is part of man and so is the spirit, the soul. But the body should not be that of a savage; it should be a disciplined body, one capable of refraining and retreating from certain actions that promise corporeal pleasure. The body must be sanctified and elevated.
 
It is in the context of his above-stated comments that Rav Soloveitchik notes the singular import of the hilchot kashrut, “We have existed for almost two thousand years without a sanctuary, and the absence of its service has not affected the integrity of our people. If a Jewish community would reject kashrus, however, it would become assimilated in a few generations.”
 
Whether we focus on hilchot kashrut from a spiritual standpoint (the Ramban and the Abarbanel), or from the viewpoint of the elevation of the body (Rav Soloveitchik), each of these approaches lead to the pursuit of holiness.
 
May we strive to lead lives dedicated to kedushah, so we may grow ever closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The haftarah for Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach consists of the famous passage found in Sefer Yechezkel 37:1-14 that focuses upon the navi’s vision of the dry bones, and their subsequent techiyat hameitim—resurrection. The first three pasukim set the stage for this famous encounter:

The hand of the Lord came upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley, and that was full of bones. And He made me pass by them round about, and lo! They were exceedingly many on the surface of the valley, and lo! They were exceedingly dry. Then He said to me; “Son of man, can these bones become alive?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You [alone] know.” (Verses 1-3, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Chazal differ regarding the nature of this nevuah, does it speak of that which Yechezkel directly witnessed, or was it a mashal—a parable?

…the view that in truth [the story of the resurrection of the dry bones] was [but] a
parable… Rabbi Yehudah said: “It was truth; it was a parable.” Rabbi Nechemiah said to him: “If truth, why a parable; and if a parable, why truth?” But [say thus]: “In the truth there was but a parable.” Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Jose the Galilean said: “The dead whom Ezekiel revived went up to Palestine, married wives and begat sons and daughters.” Rabbi Yehudah b. Bathyra rose up and said: “I am one of their descendants, and these are the tefillin which my grandfather left me [as an heirloom] from them.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 92b, translation, The Soncino Talmud)
 
Clearly, these sages maintain different views as to what took place during Yechezkel’s prophetic rendezvous. In addition, this multiplicity of opinions continued long after the close of the Talmud. By way of illustration, in his Moreh HaNevuchim, the Rambam zatzal (1135-1204), in opposition to most of the best-known meforshim, maintains that Yechezkel’s vision of the dry bones and their ensuing resurrection was, indeed, a mashal (II:46). Nonetheless, the concept of techiyat hameitim is universally embraced by all classic Jewish thinkers. Little wonder, then, that the Rambam unequivocally states: “Techiyat hameitim is a fundamental principle of the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu. There is no religion of, or connection to, the Jewish people if one does not believe in this…” (Perush HaMishnaiyot, Sanhedrin, Hakdamah l’Perek Chalek, Rabbi Yosef David Kapach zatzal edition, page 139, translation my own) In addition, he categorizes this theological principle among his celebrated 13 Ikkarei Emunah (page 142), and codifies its singular import in the Mishneh Torah in his list of 24 types of individuals she’ain lahem chalek l’olam habah—that are denied a portion in the world to come: “The following individuals do not have a portion in the world to come. Rather, their [souls] are cut off, and they are judged for their great wickedness and sins, forever... those who deny the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the [Messianic] redeemer.” (Hilchot Teshuvah, III:6, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
Due to a great number of specious criticisms levelled against his presentation of techiyat hameitim, the Rambam wrote a monograph entitled, “Ma’amar Techiyat Hameitim,” to clarify his position. Therein he states: “I have explained to them that techiyat hameitim is a fundamental Torah principle that consists of chazarat hanefesh l’guf—the return of the soul to the body—and that one should not alter this concept in any manner from its direct and basic meaning.” (Rabbi Yosef David Kapach edition, page 79, this and the following translation my own) As such, basing himself on the earlier-cited passage from Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin, the Rambam maintains:

And it appears to us from these statements, that those people whose souls will return to their bodies [will live life as we know it to be]. They will eat and drink, engage in marital relations and give birth, and ultimately die after a very long time—similar in kind to the days that will be in the times of the Mashiach. (Page 82, brackets my own)
 
In sum, the Rambam asserts techiyat hameitim to be an essential pillar of Torah thought. Moreover, it is to be understood at face value, namely, it literally means chazarat hanefesh l’guf, wherein those that merit this gift from Hashem will live again ba’olam hazeh--in this world.
 
May the time come soon and, in our days, when we will witness the fulfillment of the bracha recited three times daily in the weekday Shemoneh Esrai:

You are mighty forever, my Lord; You resurrect the dead; You are powerful to save. He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall. He sustains the living with loving kindness, resurrects the dead with great mercy, supports the falling, heals the sick, releases the bound, and fulfills His trust to those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, mighty One! And who can be compared to You, King, who brings death and restores life, and causes deliverance to spring forth! You are trustworthy to revive the dead. Blessed are You Lord, who revives the dead. (Translation, Chabad.org)
 
V'chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach​!
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The Haggadah is a trans-historical multi-layered document that is the product of numerous Jewish cultures both in Israel and the Diaspora. As such, it may be viewed as one of the preeminent post-Tanach works since it captures the pathos, ethos, hopes, and visions of the entirety of our people. This leads us to an essential question: “Excluding actual citations from Tanach, what is one of the most ancient sections of the Haggadah?” According to many meforshim, it is the section known as “Rabban Gamliel hiyah omer:”
Rabban Gamliel used to say: Whoever does not mention these three things on Pesach does not fulfill his halachic responsibility, and these are they:

• Pesach
• Matzah
• and Maror

[The] Passover-offering [is offered] because the Ever-present One passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt. Unleavened bread [is eaten] because our forebears were redeemed from Egypt. [The] bitter herb is [eaten] because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt. (Mishnah, Talmud Bavli 116a-b)

Rabban Gamliel’s initial statement: “Whoever does not mention these three things on Pesach does not fulfill his halachic responsibility,” immediately grabs our attention. At face value, it seems this refers to Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim. What is Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim? In broad strokes, my rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, described the underlying narrative of the Exodus, and the consequent mitzvah for it to be retold “… as the story of Jewish destiny for all time—the eternal story of an eternal people. (Public lecture, March 1977, transcription my own) Thus, even though there are countless commentaries and halachic analyses concerning Rabban Gamliel’s statement, the direct explanation of his assertion seems to be “the eternal story of an eternal people” will not be adequately told if we do not explicitly mention Pesach, Matzah, and Maror.

The Rav was fond of the conceptual distinction between a nisa (object) and a nosa (subject). The former is something or someone acted upon, whereas the latter is an actor in the drama we call life. At first blush, we look at Pesach, Matzah, and Maror as mere objects that must be consumed during the Seder (inclusive of the Korban Pesach when the Holy Temple is extant). Yet, in a creative tour de force, Rav Soloveitchik perceived each of these items as a nosa, as an active participant in the mitzvah of Sippur Yitziat Mitzraim:

Sippur Yitziat Mitzraim is a blend of storytelling, Torah teaching, and eating symbolic food items. It is a fusion of the spoken word and the physiological functions of eating and drinking, the intermingling of physical pleasure with Torah debate, the combining of the word of God with an activity motivated by biological pressure and characteristic not only of man but of animals. Eating the paschal sacrifice, mazzah and maror constitutes a double mizvah. The mizvat akhilah, physically consuming these items, is per se, a religious performance, a maaseh kiyum mizvah. But eating the pesach, mazzah, and maror is also the instrument or medium of Sippur Yitziat Mitzraim, telling the story of the Exodus. We narrate the story not only through speech but through eating as well. [Therefore,] in order to fulfill the mizvah of sippur in the most perfect manner, one must interpret and explicate the symbolic meaning of pesach, mazzah, and maror. (Based on the March, 1977 public lecture, as recorded in Rabbi Menachem Genack’s, The Seder Night: An Exalted Evening, pages 92-93, bolding, underlining, and brackets my own)
 
In sum, and as I remember having heard when I attended this shiur, Pesach, Matzah, and Maror are far more than mere objects; instead, they are actual subjects and mesapprim (story tellers) of the Sippur Yitziat Mitzraim.

On another occasion, the Rav focused on the order of Pesach, Matzah and Maror when it seemingly should have been Maror, Pesach, and Matzah:

Historically, it would be more accurate that the order be Maror, Pesach, and Matzah, as the bitter torment preceded the Korban Pesach, and both preceded the baking of the Matzos, which took place on the day of the 15th. The sequence that the Haggadah provides is that of the importance of the Mitzvos. Pesach is the primary Halacha; [whereas] the Mitzvah of Matzah is dependent upon that of Korban Pesach… However, there is a second Mitzvah of Matzah, that of eating it with Maror… Maror has no Torah obligation today, for it is completely dependent upon the Korban Pesach; Maror is only a Rabbinic commandment when there is no Korban, and it thus is last in the sequence… This is the meaning of the sequence that we have in our Haggadah. (Transcribed from a public lecture by Rabbi Aton Holzer, Pesach to Go, Nissan 5768, page 22, underlining, brackets, and editing my own)

Herein, the Rav illuminates a classic exegetical problem inherent in Rabban Gamliel’s statement. True, were we to focus primarily upon the historical pain and suffering of our Egyptian forebears, the order should have been Maror, Pesach, and Matzah. Yet, as significant as the crucible of misery that the 210 years of slavery represents, the everlasting nature of the mitzvot must take precedence. Therefore, since “the Mitzvah of Matzah is dependent upon that of Korban Pesach,” Pesach, perforce, must be mentioned prior to Matzah, with Maror constituting the final part of the triumvirate.  

With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to experience the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash so that we may once again joyously offer the Korban Pesach. May this time come soon and in our days! V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom and chag kasher v’sameach!
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The laws regarding korbanot are one of the major themes of Sefer Vayikra. The Rambam (1135-1204) discusses their underlying rationale in two passages in The Guide of the Perplexed:

His wisdom, may He be exalted, and His gracious ruse, which is manifest in regard to all His creatures, did not require that He give us a Law prescribing the rejection, abandonment, and abolition of all these kinds of worship [practiced by the surrounding nations] … Therefore He, may He be exalted, suffered the above-mentioned kinds of worship to remain, but transferred them from created or imaginary and unreal things to His own name… (The Guide of the Perplexed, III:32, vol. II, p. 526, translation and notes, Dr. Shlomo Pines, underlining, brackets and bolding my own)
 
The second section appears in III:46. Herein, the Rambam maintains that korbanot are a negative response to delegitimize the practices of the surrounding idol-worshipping nations who forbade the offering of sheep (Egyptians), goats (Sabians), and oxen:

Thus it was in order to efface the traces of these incorrect opinions [that is, forbidding the offering of sheep, goats, and oxen] that we have been ordered by the Law to offer in sacrifices only these three species of quadrupeds: “When a man from [among] you brings a sacrifice to the Lord; from animals, from cattle or from the flock you shall bring your sacrifice.” (Sefer Vayikra 1:2) … Thus wrong opinions, which are diseases of the human soul, are cured by their contrary found at the other extreme. (pp. 581-582)
 
In sum, the Rambam maintained that the korbanot were included in the Torah as a concession to behaviors familiar to our forebears, and to negate the spurious opinions of the nations of the time. This is a causally and historically based analysis of this class of mitzvot. Not too surprisingly, nearly every classic meforash soundly rejects this approach.
 
The Ramban (1194-1270) is one of the most celebrated Torah thinkers to repudiate the Rambam’s position. In his Commentary on the Torah (Sefer Vayikra 1:9), he states that the Rambam’s words concerning this matter are patent nonsense (divrei havai). Moreover, he turns the Rambam’s historically based position on its head:

Behold when Noach and his three sons went out of the Ark, there were no Chaldeans and Egyptians in existence. Nevertheless, he offered korbanot that were pleasing to Hashem, concerning which it is stated: “And Hashem smelled the pleasant aroma, and Hashem said to Himself, ‘I will no longer curse the earth because of man…’ (Sefer Bereishit 8:21) Hevel, [who preceded Noach,] also brought a sacrifice from the first born and best of his flock. [Once again, Hashem’s response was completely positive]: “And Hashem turned to Hevel and to his offering.” (Sefer Bereishit 4:4) And, it must be noted, there was not even the remotest thought of idol worship in the world at that time! (Commentary on the Torah, translations, brackets and underlining my own; Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, underlining and brackets my own).
 
The Ramban concludes his argument with these powerful words: “And cha v’shalom that one would even think that the sole purpose and ultimate value of the korbanot is to negate the notion of idol worship in the minds of the foolish!”

Like the Ramban, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, strongly rejected the Rambam’s approach to the rationalization of the mitzvot. As we have seen in the case of korbanot, the Rambam focuses upon the “how” question, (that is, “How did sacrifices come to be?”) when analyzing this class of commandments. The Rav, however, vigorously repudiated this entire methodology:
​
Judging Maimonides’ undertaking retrospectively, one must admit that the master whose thought shaped Jewish ideology for centuries to come did not succeed in making his interpretation of the commandments prevalent in our world perspective.
 
While we recognize his opinions on more complicated problems such as prophecy, teleology and creation, we completely ignore most of his rational notions regarding the commandments. The reluctance on the part of the Jewish homo religiosus [religious person] to accept Maimonidean rationalistic ideas is not ascribable to any agnostic tendencies, but to the incontrovertible fact that such explanations neither edify nor inspire the religious consciousness. They are essentially, if not entirely, valueless for the religious interests we have most at heart. …
 
If rationalization is guided by the “how” question and by the principle of objectification then it is detrimental to religious thought. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, The Halakhic Mind: An Essay on Jewish Tradition and Modern Thought, pp. 92 and 98, brackets, spacing and underlining my own)
 
In Rabbi Soloveitchik’s view, both in regard to the korbanot and other aspects of Jewish practice, the Rambam’s suggestion of historical bases for the mitzvot detracts from the holiness and uniqueness of the Torah’s revelation at Har Sinai. Moreover, he maintains that only interpretations of the Torah and mitzvot that “edify and inspire the religious consciousness” will enable us to grow closer to our Creator. This idea corresponds to the Rav’s emphasis regarding the ultimate import of devekut Hashem (cleaving to Hashem) that is so prominently presented in his work, “U’vikashtem Misham” (And From There He Will Search for You).
 
May we once again offer the korbanot in love and devotion to the Almighty in the soon to be rebuilt Beit HaMikdash. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Many may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
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*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.